The Better Semester

Today we’re talking about why a College Mental Health Leave is Your Student’s Competitive Advantage and not an existential crisis. High-achieving parents are often terrified that letting their kid take a semester off for mental health will permanently scar their resume in a hyper-competitive job market. Research shows the exact opposite: pushing a struggling young man through a semester often resu...

Is your high-achieving student's summer behavior just "college partying" or a developing Substance Use Disorder? In this episode, we break down the clinical differences between a heavy partier and a dependent student, looking at the locus of control, tolerance, and withdrawal. If you are noticing an inverted sleep schedule, financial burn rates on DoorDash and dispensaries, or sever...

In this episode, we sit down with Megan Ballard Mitchell , a prominent Title IX, education law, and criminal defense attorney who has helped countless students and families navigate some of the most stressful challenges in higher education. Megan draws on her unique experience as a former Attorney Advisor for the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and her strategic defens...

In this episode, Rob Danzman sits down with psychiatrist Dr. Jessi Gold , the first-ever Chief Wellness Officer for the University of Tennessee System and a nationally recognized expert in student mental health.  What You Will Learn in This Episode: The "Perfect Student" Trap: Why high-achieving students are experts at hiding mental health struggles until they reach a breaking point. Nav...

Dr. Joel Ingersoll is one of the most recognized advisers to college students and their parents in the Mid-Atlantic. He is a licensed psychologist, renowned impact performance coach and founder of school readiness programs. Joel is the creator of the BounceBack Accelerator Program , podcast host of Mental Health University and author of the brand new book Fix-It Fatigue: How Gen-X Parents Can Stop...

Jason Sarouhan, Professional Gap Year Counselor, Interim Executive Director of the Gap Year Association , & Co-Founder of J2Guides .  Show Notes A Complete Guide to the Gap Year - Kristin M. White Gap to Great: A Parent's Guide to the Gap Year - Andrea Wien Gap Year Advantage: Helping Your Child Benefit from Time Off Before or During College - Karl Haigler  Reimagining Your Gap Year: The...

Sending your son or daughter off to college is more than just move-in day and tuition payments—it’s a developmental earthquake. Every pillar of their identity—academic, social, emotional, and financial—gets tested. For parents, especially high-achieving families, the transition can feel even more complicated: you want your child to succeed, stay safe, and thrive, but you also know you need to step...

Today we’re talking about something every parent thinks they’ve mastered… until they have teens and college students--Communication (seems like mostly arguing and negotiating??) By the end of this episode, you’re going to have some solids techniques professionals use.  You'll learn: Why talking to a 19-21 year-old is fundamentally different than talking to a 17-year-old. The “less is more” pr...

Here’s your episode description, under 3,500 characters, written to match Scott Galloway’s tone while making it appealing for parents of college students in 2025: Episode Description Your kid’s college has a lifeboat they probably don’t even know exists — and you’ve already paid for it. It’s called CAPS (Counseling and Psychological Services), and in 2025, it might be the most undervalued part of...

There's this pervasive, seductive myth of the endless summer among college students when spring semester finishes. Summer just feels long in the beginning, doesn't it? Three glorious months stretching out before your kiddo, promising unlimited possibilities. But here’s the harsh reality: it’s not. Without even an ounce of structure, without any guiding intent, those three months vanish—P...

The transition to college is a significant milestone for both students and their parents. It's a time when young adults begin to assert their independence and navigate the complexities of adulthood but also the first time that parents are experiencing their kiddo being gone for longer than a summer camp session. The role of parents during this period can be a delicate balancing act. Well, may...

This episode is a little bit of a deviation from talking exclusively about college students academics, mental health, and career. I've had so many parents reaching out describing the wheels coming off BEFORE freshman year of college so I reached out to Stef Mauler for some insights into what's going on with high school students preparing for college. Stef is owner of The Mauler Institute...

Margo is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist, Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), Academic Coach and Educational Consultant serving adolescents and college students. During our interview Margo talks about insights on how students can improve academic outcomes as well as her own personal path through undergrad and graduate school.  Here are our show notes with links to people, places, a...

Books by B. Hibbs and Anthony Rostain The Stressed Years of their Lives You're Not Done Yet: Parenting Young Adults in an Age of Uncertaint Higher Education Mental Health Alliance McMillan Speakers (B. Janet Hibbs and Anthony Rostain) LinkedIn (Anthony Rostain) Dr. B. Janet Hibbs website Cooper University Health Care - Cooper University Health Care is an academic health system in South Jersey...

Along with his wife Maureen White,  Josh White, Sensei, MA, LCMHC, CGP is co-founder and former Executive Director of Red Mountain Sedona. Josh served as a Program Director, Clinical Director, and Executive Director in top treatment programs for adolescents and young adults. Josh earned his Master’s Degree in Psychology from Naropa University, the nation’s premier mindfulness-based therapeutic tra...

Dr. Sokoll’s practice ranges from providing adolescent and adult psychotherapy to providing counseling and organizational consultation to C-suite executives. Dr. Sokoll is double board certified and an examiner for the American Board or Psychiatry and Neurology in Psychiatry and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.  He has been a Castle Connelly and Philadelphia Magazine Top Doc for numerous years. He...

Today I'm exploring organization at college. From juggling classes to managing clubs and a social life, staying organized can be a real challenge. Good organization helps lower anxiety and make students feel a sense of purpose and confidence. I've got some tips and tricks to help your college student master the art of organization.  https://www.youtube.com/channel/motivatecounseling http...

In this episode I'm talking about a topic that influences every decision we make, often without us even realizing it—cognitive biases. Cognitive biases are systematic patterns of deviation from the norm or rationality in judgment, often leading to perceptual distortion, inaccurate judgment, illogical interpretation, or what we commonly refer to as "thinking errors." All of this is c...

Today I’m talking about Derealization, Depersonalization, and Dissociation.   Depersonalization is where students have the feeling of being outside themself and observing their actions, feelings or thoughts from a distance. Derealization is where they feel the world is unreal. People and things around them may seem "lifeless" or "foggy". Disassociation is experiencing a loss of...

Today I’m talking about depression in college students . I’m going over what depression is and what it isn’t and what parents can do to help their struggling college student. I’m also going to give a brief overview of where diagnoses are listed.  There's so much to cover when discussing depression so I think understanding the diagnostic context as well as the strategies parents can use are es...

Today I’m talking about when college students should consider taking a gap year or semester. I’m going over what a gap year is, different reasons to take a gap year, and a review of the options. I’m using the term gap year but it could also stand for gap semester or even an early withdrawal from a semester. Gap years tend to refer to time off between high school and the start of college but it can...

This episode is all about weed. l do a deep dive into its history, background, how students are using it now, the impact on them, and what treatment options look like if their use is getting out of hand. There's really good stuff in this episode for parents so I hope you enjoy. Please check out the show notes below for additional info I reference throughout the episode.  Show Notes University...

Today I’m talking about college student anxiety. I’m going over some basics of anxiety disorders, what they look like from a clinical perspective and, most importantly, what can be done to treat college students. For more information, check out this episode’s show notes and visit my blog at motivatecounseling.com . I also have a whole chapter on anxiety in my first book Insider’s Guide to Parentin...

Today I’m talking about college disability services. You'll learn what disability services are, how to sign up and what accommodations are most often requested.  List of colleges with best disability services - https://www.collegechoice.net/choosing-a-college/disability-friendly-universities/ Disability Services Consultant - https://ldadvisory.com/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/motivatecoun...

In today's episode, Rob breaks down college privacy regulations for parents. He looks at the two more important laws: FERPA and HIPAA and how they impact parents and students accessing information and how schools share or limit information. It may not be the most exciting episode but it's jam-packed with lots of important content parents can use to develop common-sense approaches to gett...